


healing scars

by starksnack



Category: Marvel 616
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Outing, POV Steve Rogers, Protective Steve Rogers, Time Shenanigans, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Trans Tony Stark, see notes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starksnack/pseuds/starksnack
Summary: it is just an ordinary day for steve, drawing tony in the workshop and trying not to let the other man know about his massive crush when an adorable surprise visitor from the past reveals secrets about tony that steve didn't know. the fact that they're supposed to get married being one.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 197
Collections: Captain America/Iron Man Reverse Bang 2020





	healing scars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wingheads](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingheads/gifts).
  * Inspired by [healing scars [FANART]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23934952) by [wingheads](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingheads/pseuds/wingheads). 



> this is my very first 616 fic so please be gentle with me. special thanks to jet for being so kind with me and my canon mix-ups. i had a lot of fun pinch-hitting his beautiful art so be sure to check it out.
> 
> beta by the lovely [anoo](https://downeyhills.tumblr.com/) who i would die for <3
> 
> please see end notes for warning about outing in my fic, ymmv

Steve was lounging on the couch in the workshop with a sketchbook in hand and trying not to stare too obviously at Tony’s striking side profile, when the portal appeared.

He had been drawing the genius in his element, blue eyes lit up by the soft glow of the holograms surrounding him. Steve’s pencil worked across the paper to capture his best friend in his element. The rest of his sketchbook was embarrassingly full of Tony. His side profile, his expression as he pleaded for coffee, his beautiful blue eyes.

Steve was so immersed in committing his best friend to paper that he didn’t even notice the rippling in the air beside him, light bending and shifting as particles split, throwing light across the room.

In all fairness, it wasn’t Tony’s fault that things were usually so crazy. 

Immediately Steve jumped to his feet, dropping his sketchbook on the wooden side table and grabbing his shield from where it was leaned up against the windows of the workshop. There wasn’t a lot of room to manoeuvre if an actual fight broke out, the space cluttered with scrap metal and spare parts. There apparently was a method to the madness, not that Steve would ever understand it. Basically it wasn’t exactly an ideal situation. Stepping forward, he put himself in between Tony and the shimmer of the portal.

Tony, who had been hard at work on one of the suit’s gauntlets, raised his eyebrows in confusion. His reflexes were fast though and within seconds he had the repulsor pointed at the flowing air, his gaze hard as he glared, preparing for whatever was coming through. He was beautiful, jet black hair a wild mess and streaked with oil as his body tensed like a live wire, ready for combat.

The last thing they expected was the little girl that stumbled through, blue eyes wide and oh so familiar as she looked up at the two of them. She had her bottom lip pulled between her teeth, her bright pink dress falling off her shoulder. She couldn’t have been older than six, clutching tightly to a well-loved stuffed animal that looked like a robot princess. Her hair was pulled haphazardly out of her face and into a messy topknot on the crown of her head. She looked a little bit like a ridiculous unicorn and Steve had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms and protect her from harm.

Steve dropped to his knees, setting his shield aside as he smiled at the child. “Hey there sweetheart, my name is Steve. We’re not gonna hurt you.”

Blinking up at him shyly, the little girl studied him carefully from under long, inky lashes. There was an unparalleled intelligence behind her gaze and Steve already knew that her thoughts were buzzing a million miles a minute. She looked a lot like Tony when he had an idea for a new project and just had to get it done in a burst of manic energy.

The girl brushed a couple of stray strands of dark hair out of her face, her bottom lip sticking out in a practised look that made her absolutely adorable. “Hi, are you Steve from the TV? I want to be just like you someday.”

Steve felt his heart melt in his chest. He knew a lot of kids looked up to him but it was one thing to know that he was a national icon and something entirely different to have a young girl tell him to his face that he was her idol. He couldn’t help the wide smile that broke out across his face as he tipped his head to her in thanks.

“I’m sure you’ll be better,” Steve replied, pleased at the delighted reaction his words received. She was kind of young to be watching the reels of him made during the war but he wasn’t one to judge the parenting of others. “Let’s get you back to your parents though. What are their names?”

“My daddy is-”

“Woah there,” Tony stepped in front of Steve to scoop the child up. “Natasha, you know better than to talk to strangers.”

“But he’s not a stranger! If anything, you’re a stranger!” The girl- Natasha apparently because Tony somehow knew her- protested, looking up at Tony with a teary look in her eyes. They were seconds away from a meltdown and Steve had never been good with crying children. Natasha pointed over Tony’s shoulder at him with a loud shriek. “That’s Steve! I’m gonna marry him someday.”

“No you aren’t, buddy,” Tony said with an eye roll. He shot Steve an apologetic smile before he headed toward the workshop doors with a petulant Natasha looking at Steve over his shoulder with tears streaking down her cheeks as she shoved at Tony’s arms in a desperate attempt to get him to set her back down.

Scratching the back of his head, Steve followed Tony up the stairs and toward the elevator that would take them from the sub-basement to the communal floor. “You know where she teleported from?”

“It’s not really a where,” Tony said cryptically as he readjusted an adorably angry Natasha in his arms. He ran a soothing hand down her back in an attempt to calm her but it was a futile attempt. “It’s more of a when. Natasha is a friend from the past who needs to get back home.”

“If we were friends, I don’t want to be yours anymore,” Natasha mumbled into Tony’s shoulder. She pulled away from him to cross her arms over her chest, bottom lip stuck out in dissatisfaction. She squirmed in his hold until she was facing Steve. “Why can’t he be the one carrying me?”

“Because I’m carrying you right now.” Tony didn’t look the least bit amused as he readjusted his hold on her. He bounced her on his hip a couple of times to try and placate her but it just seemed to make her angrier. “Don’t worry, we’ll send you back to where you belong.”

The two of them stepped into the elevator together, not needing to tell Jarvis where they were heading before the glass box was rocketing up to their desired floor. The view from the elevator seemed to pacify Natasha for a moment as she looked out at the sea of blinking lights and skyscrapers of New York caught up in the middle of the afternoon sun.

Steve remembers seeing New York for the first time after waking up and he can’t imagine what the overwhelming explosion of colour and technology must appear to a child. He steps closer to Tony, brows furrowed.

“I want my mommy and daddy,” Natasha whined and Steve resisted the urge to pull the little girl out of Tony’s arms and soothe her. It’s not that Tony was doing a bad job with her. He had no doubts that the man would be an excellent father someday based only on the interactions he has witnessed of Tony interacting with kids during battle and while doing PR. But for some reason, all of the gentleness he would usually employ when dealing with kids wasn’t afforded to the girl in his arms.

“They’re not available at the moment, you’re just going to have to deal with me and Steve.” Tony pursed his lips, already short on patience with the child in his arms.

“What about Jarvis?”

It clicked in Steve’s head. This must have been one of Tony’s cousins or something. She looked exactly like Tony but smaller and with a higher-pitched voice. Steve is surprised he didn’t see the similarity until now. Maybe she had annoyed Tony when he was a child, or they didn’t currently get along. That would be the only explanation for Tony to be anything but his usual loving self.

Tony shook his head and Natasha huffed out a petulant sigh, puppy dog eyes giving way to irritation and slight indignation. Seeming to know when she was beat, she slumped in his arms, tucking her head into his neck. That motion seemed to make Tony, in turn, relax more and he cupped the back of her neck, holding her close.

Steve was so focused on the tender moment and how it made his heart melt that he almost missed the muttered question Natasha asked into Tony’s neck. “What’s your name then?”

“Tony.”

Natasha gasped, a squeal coming past her lips as she pulled back again to look Tony in the eyes with awe and adoration. It seemed like all their previous quarrels had melted away in her mind. “I love that name.”

“I know you do, kiddo.” The way Tony smiled made it seem like some kind of an inside joke between them. That was the kid-loving Tony that Steve knew and adored.

The elevator was taking a particularly slow time coming up, more than it normally did. Steve had no doubt that it was Jarvis’ doing, but for what reason he had absolutely no idea. That’s when he remembered that the last he had been to the communal floor earlier that morning Clint had been shooting fruit off the table while hanging upside down from the ceiling. Jarvis was probably getting them to clean it up before Natasha got up there.

The elevator was slowing down to a stop when Tony turned to him.

“Can I leave you with Natasha while I head down to the lab and see if I can conjure up a way to send her back?” Steve nodded, too busy thinking about how he was going to take care of a kid long enough for him to come up with a solution. The tower wasn’t exactly child-proof and Steve couldn’t risk Natasha getting hurt on his watch.

“Are you hungry Natasha?” Steve asked, tipping his head forward to make eye contact with her.

Blushing adorably, she nodded, her hands tucked under her chin. Her eyes were a crystal clear blue that were oh-so familiar. If Steve didn’t know any better, he would say she was Tony’s daughter. Or twin. They were startlingly alike, especially with the mischievous way Natasha was grinning now. “May I have grilled cheese please?”

“Sure thing, sweetheart..” Steve held open his arms right as the doors slid open and Tony passed her over to him with a grateful smile that made Steve’s heart flutter in his chest. Natasha weighed nothing to him, like holding a couple of grapes and Steve cradled her carefully, mindful of his strength. 

Leaving him in the elevator, Steve stepped into the common room floor. The elevator doors slid closed behind him and he headed to the communal kitchen sending a silent prayer to the fridge gods that Clint hadn’t eaten all the cheese. Natasha’s legs swung happily as she clutched to Steve like a koala.

Tony was always so good with kids, making faces at babies in carriages when he thought no one was looking and buying kids toys whenever he could. His generosity was one of the most attractive things about him right after the way he was always kind and gentle with children. He called them the future with such reverence that Steve could only love him more for it. Steve hoped he could measure up.

With Natasha in his arms, Steve bent over to grab the bread, cheese, and butter out of the fridge. Tony was very particular about his grilled cheese, preferring it to be cut in quarters rather than in half diagonally. It was one of the many idiosyncrasies that made him the beautifully perfect man that he was.

Setting the ingredients on the counter, Steve looked at the bar stools. They were kind of high and if Natasha fell off them she could get seriously hurt. The couch in the living room would be ideal but it was too far away for Steve to watch her and cook at the same time. As much as he trusted Jarvis, Tony had asked him to take care of Natasha and he wanted to do it himself. While he could just carry Natasha while he made the food, he could already tell that she would get bored easily and probably needed her hands busy.

She was so much like Tony that it brought a smile to Steve’s face.

The marble counter was probably his best bet. The stone would be cold, but one of Steve’s hoodies was draped across the back of the couch so he grabbed it, then sat her on the counter and pulled the fabric over her head. She drowned in the hoodie in the most adorable way and Steve resisted the urge to snap a picture. He would probably ask Jarvis to go back through the feed later and save the moment for his memory.

Natasha set her stuffed robot beside her, giving it a pat on the head before surveying her surroundings with wide eyes. She had the same kind of curiousity that Tony did and Steve found it adorable. With the intelligence he suspected she had, Steve knew it would be very difficult to keep her occupied while he made lunch.

“Can I draw?” Of course, she would come up with the perfect solution herself. Natasha’s voice was small and pleading in a way that has Steve going for the cabinet where he kept a set of crayons for when he wanted to work with wax to improve his colour and blending techniques. Setting the pencil case down beside her, he dug out some printer paper from the drawers by the pantry.

Setting down the paper in front of her, Steve made sure she was comfortable before starting on lunch. Normally he would make food for all the Avengers at home but he wanted to get Natasha fed as quickly as possible. The rest of the team could order takeout.

Buttering ten slices of bread for five sandwiches that would be enough for him, Tony, and Natasha, Steve retrieved a pan from the cupboard to set on the stove. Lighting the gas, he looked up to watch Natasha draw while he waited for the metal to heat.

She was scribbling away at the paper, her tongue poking out of her mouth in concentration in a way that Steve recognized from long days spent in the workshop. He was sure he had the same expression Natasha was wearing right now sketched out a million times in the sketchbooks under his bed. Between lines on the page, she was muttering notes to the robot, almost like she was conferring with him. She called him dummy and told him he was being too sassy.

The scene was achingly familiar to one Steve saw almost on the daily of Tony conversing with his AI in the lab. One of Steve’s favourite things about his best friend was how he treated his projects like they were his own children with their own personalities.

The paper underneath Natasha’s fingers was covered in red, chicken scratch written in the margins. It looked almost like blueprints and Steve marvelled at the child’s intelligence. At only six years, she seemed decades smarter than Steve would ever be. She was definitely related to Tony in some way. Steve would recognize a Stark genius any day; he had to live with one.

“So,” Steve attempted at a conversation trying to come up with something he could say to a kid. He didn’t really get to talk to many aside from a couple of PSAs he did when he first came out of the ice and giving orders to terrified kids caught in the crossfire of battle. Did kids even play jacks anymore? Surely there had to be an app for that. School was probably a safe subject, right? Every little kid went to school and sang about shapes and ate crackers and played outside. “How are you liking school so far kiddo?”

Natasha sniffled delicately, her big blue eyes welling with tears and Steve wondered how he could have possibly trampled on a danger zone so quickly. This had to be some kind of record. He didn’t know how Tony talked with kids so easily and freely.

“Daddy says I’m too smart, so he moved me up a couple of grades but the older kids pick on me ‘cause I’m too girly.” Natasha wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of Steve’s hoodie, rolling the crayon between her fingers as her shoulders slumped in defeat. Her lower lip wobbled in a way that should be illegal and Steve’s breath hitched as guilt swelled in his chest.

Maybe shitty childhoods ran in the family. Tony never spoke about his, but the hitching way he skirted around memories of his younger years left a wide gap that wasn’t too hard to fill in. Knowing that, Steve should have been more careful about what he said to Natasha.

Steve smiled kindly at her, carefully brushing her bangs out of her face, and gently wiping at her nose with a napkin from the holder on the counter. “There’s nothing wrong with being smart and girly.”

“But I’m not a girl, I’m a boy.”

Steve froze, his heart stopping in his chest as he struggled to come up with a response. He played through the last half hour like a flipbook in his head. Tony had been careful not to gender Natasha when he talked about the child. Steve recognised that now. Picking Natasha up he tried again.

“Alright, I’m sorry I misunderstood. I should have asked earlier, but what are your pronouns?”

Natasha beamed like royalty, with a smile a mile wide as if the question was everything. “My pronouns are he or him, please.”

“Okay,” Steve scrubbed a hand across the back of his neck awkwardly. He should have known better, Shield had educated him on gender identity and trained him for things like pronoun usage. Clearly Tony was employing the practice better than he was considering he hadn’t misgendered the child like Steve had. “Thank you for telling me. Lunch is almost ready.”

“Can you please cut it in quarters? That’s how my friend Jarvis does it when he makes them.”

For the second time that day, Steve’s breath hitched, the knife frozen in midair above the grilled cheese. Suddenly, he remembered Tony interrupting Natasha when he had tried to talk about his parents. Suddenly Steve realised it wasn’t just Tony being his usual unconventional self.

“Sure thing kiddo.” Steve cut the sandwich into quarters, setting it on a red plastic plate. He pulled out a container of blueberries from the fridge to go with the meal and Natasha’s excited squeal was enough to ease the sharp twist in Steve’s stomach. “By the way, is there a different name you want to be called?”

“I like Tony,” he replied with a wide grin and that was it for Steve.

Tony was his best friend. They knew everything about each other. Sure, Tony probably had his reasons for keeping this a secret, and Steve understood. He just wished Tony had been comfortable enough to share this part of himself with Steve.

“Hey Steve, we have a problem.”

Steve’s head snapped up at the sound of his Tony’s tentative voice, watching as he stepped out of the elevators and strode across the living room. He was holding Steve’s shield in one hand and a Starkpad in the other with several graphs and readings projected in front of him. Steve could never hope to understand what he was looking at, but it was a privilege to watch Tony’s intelligence reason it out. 

“Here,” Steve plated the second sandwich, cut in the way Tony preferred. “You can tell me about it over lunch and we can come up with a solution.”

Big Tony plopped into the seat beside little Tony, shooting him a smile as he ruffled his hair. Now that Steve knew they were the same person, he could pick out the similarities between them. There was a jagged scar on the back of their left hands and both of them made the same adorably excited expression for grilled cheese. Then there was the preference for it being cut into quarters. Steve had to resist the urge to cuddle the two of them.

Tony’s weird behaviour from earlier was a lot more understandable now that Steve knew the truth behind it. He had heard about Tony’s shitty childhood but knowing and actually seeing him as a kid were two entirely different things.

“Have you been pestering Steve to marry you?” Tony teased tiny Tony, side-eyeing him with a smirk as he chewed his sandwich. He looked at Steve out of the corner of his eyes, his reddening ears the only thing betraying his embarrassment.

“Tiny Tony has been nothing but an angel,” Steve replied watching as Tony’s face paled, eyes wide as he paused mid-chew. His heart ached in his chest and he set a hand on Tony’s shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. Lowering his voice he whispered, “I’m not upset Tony. You’re still my friend.”

Lowering his head, Tony took a deep shaky breath as Steve rubbed his back. He didn’t want anything to change between them. The last thing he wanted was for Tony to close up and lock himself down in the workshop. It was hard enough getting him up for meals as it was.

“Are you okay?” Little Tony’s voice was soft as he looked up at Tony with wide, innocent blue eyes. Even as a child he was beautiful and Steve was so incredibly proud of the man he had grown into. Steve tried to convey that as he shifted closer with a companionable arm around his friend’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Tony shot a watery smile at him before picking up his sandwich and taking a big bite, blinking up into the light to get rid of his tears. Tapping his tablet on the counter, Tony tried to compose himself while changing the subject. “Kang sent tiny Tony here using neutrino energy particles. The science is a little shaky because we’re years away from understanding time travel and being able to replicate it, but my best guess is that we can reactivate the residual particles to send the kiddo back.”

Steve’s brows furrowed, his mindset shifted from caring friend to fearless tactical mission leader. He left his hand stayed on Tony’s shoulder though, to show support and definitely not because he liked having his friend close to him more than he should. The cosmic energy readings from tiny Tony were through the roof, the only problem was that it was generating enough power to reactivate them. And of course, Kang if he showed his ugly blue mug.

“He’s probably trying to get rid of you again. What with how charming you are and all that. He’s probably tired of getting beaten fair and square,” Steve shot him an encouraging smile, bantering to try and calm his friend’s nerves. If he could get a smile out of Tony, that would be a bonus.

Tony tipped his head toward Steve, expressing his gratitude before they both focused on the feed of space-time disruptions tiny Tony’s presence was causing in the universe. It was a program that Tony had collaborated with Reed Richards to create in order to help fight Kang, but Steve didn’t really understand how it worked.

They had faced Kang the Conqueror before. The villain’s incomparable ego put Tony’s to shame and his need for significance tended to be his downfall when he went up against the Avengers. All they really needed to do was wait for him to show up to gloat about his success with young Tony and Steve could easily take him and his futuristic weapons down. Tony could be ready with the suit at a moment’s notice and he had been kind enough to bring Steve’s shield up from the workshop.

“I sent a message to Richards.” An eye-roll accompanied the name and Steve resisted the urge to smile affectionately. Instead, he focused on what Tony was saying about his scientific rival. “He’s a lot more well-versed at this whole time travel thing so hopefully we can get his assistance on sending tiny Tony back to his time.”

Steve nodded trying not to think about what would happen if Richards brought his wife and Susan brought her brother. Johnny Storm was insufferable and he always hit on Tony at every chance he got. It didn’t help that he looked enough like Steve to be his doppelganger, just a lot more hot-headed and crass. But it wasn’t like Steve was jealous or anything, he just didn’t want Tony to be distracted by flirting while trying to fight Kang.

“Cool,” Steve nodded in acknowledgement trying to come up with anyone else that could help them that wasn’t related to Storm. “Is Strange at the Sanctum? If we can get him over here to consult we might be able to get Tony back to his time quicker and hopefully Strange can help us out with Kang.” Steve pulled open the timeline that Tony was looking at, flipping through it with furrowed brows.

“I hate time travel,” Tony grumbled under his breath as he leaned closer to Steve so they could look at the screen together. “It never makes any sense in the media, and it doesn’t make any sense right now.”

“Wait a second,” Tiny Tony looked at the two of them with furrowed brows. “Is the other Tony the reason why you won’t marry me? Do you love him more?”

Steve tried to keep the shock off his face. There was no way that young Tony saw right through him so quickly. He carefully avoided Tony’s gaze. If he looked at the other man now, he knew he would say something stupid. “I love you both equally.”

The words were startlingly honest. Tony’s hand fell on his arm, with a smile on his face that took Steve’s breath away. Tiny Tony seemed to be satisfied by that answer and he turned back to his paper, scribbling away at what looked a lot like the Iron Man armour.

Light shimmered in front of them as space and time rippled aggressively. The whine of repulsors sounded and Steve paused with his grilled cheese sandwich halfway in his mouth. They had run out of time already.

Tony looked up at the time rift before shoving a handful of blueberries in his mouth, and sighed heavily. “Kang, I really don’t have time for your games.” Tony snorted before shooting Steve a look out of the corner of his eye. “Time, get it?”

Steve resisted the urge to smile, grabbing his shield from where it was resting against the counter and holding it up in front of them. Tony was already suiting up behind him pulling tiny Tony against him as he aimed his gauntlets toward the ripple of air in the middle of their kitchen.

If Kang ended up destroying their common room, Steve would have no qualms about roughing him up a bit before sending him to Shield holding. They had just finished remodelling after last week’s run-in with the Wrecking Crew and he didn’t want to have to talk to the construction team all over again.

“Your time has run out Stark.”

Steve could practically hear Tony’s eyes roll, his voice crackling behind the speakers. “Why does everything you say sound like it was pulled off the pages of a cheesy comic book? Is that really how they talk like 800 years in the future?”

Kang emerged from the time rift in his classic purple regalia, blue face etched with a permanent frown as he studied all of them. “I see Natasha is still here.”

“It’s Tony actually,” tiny Tony speaks up, his voice hard and unrelenting as he glared up at Kang for all he was worth. Steve adored him all the more for it.

“You heard the little guy, you haven’t destroyed the time stream yet cause I’m still alive and kicking. And clearly my descendants are still taking names and kicking your ass in the future because you’re here trying to kill me.”

Kang waved his hand like it didn’t matter all that much to him. “Not for long, Stark. Without you, there are no Avengers and no will stop me.”

Aiming at tiny Tony, Kang shot out a beam of energy, Steve’s shield coming up to deflect it easily. Unfortunately, Kang was expecting that and shot at Steve’s exposed flank, easily maneuvering on the hoverboard-like disk he stood on.

“You and your ancient weapons are no match for me,” Kang taunted as he easily deflected Tony’s efforts at attacking. Despite the fact that their technology was centuries behind Kang’s Steve was certain that teamwork was more important and it would help them beat the villain. 

Return fire came from behind him as Tony aimed his repulsors at Kang, trying to get him away from Steve while also protecting his younger self who was clutching the leg of the suit with wide scared eyes. Tiny Tony was hugging his plush robot close to his chest whispering to it in a way that Steve knew was reassuring, because even in his fear, Tony always put others first.

Steve tipped his head toward the couch and tiny Tony nodded darting behind the recliner to shield himself from Kang’s efforts to end the Stark line. He tucked his knees to his chest, holding his stuffed robot tight.

Tony resumed blasting Kang from the right while Steve took to hitting his shield against the strange disk-shaped hoverboard he was standing on. They could probably hold him off together for a while, but Steve wasn’t sure about defeating him.

Another ripple in the air behind Kang had Steve resisting the urge to groan. He and Tony were a pretty good team, but he wasn’t sure if they could handle multiple high-level threats like Kang. Steve was ready to reach for his identicard to call for backup when he actually saw who was coming through the portal.

The suit looked a lot different but the hot rod red and glittering gold were the same. Steve watched in awe as the armour-clad hero, definitely one of Tony’s descendants, disarmed Kang in a couple of shots, grabbing on to his suit at the nape of his neck and dragging him backward to where the portal was shimmering.

Lifting his faceplate, the newcomer winked at them with a wide smirk. From that alone Steve knew that he was related to the man standing beside him. He looked like he could be Tony’s twin with his blue eyes and long lashes that made Steve's heart go into overdrive in his chest. He had brown hair though instead of Tony’s jet black and his beard was just a little bit more eccentric but Steve would never tell Tony that.

When the man spoke, his voice was deep and smooth like aged whisky. “I wish I could stay and chat but I just don’t have the time.”

Saluting both of them, he tossed Kang through the portal before following suit. Steve couldn’t help but let his gaze wander to his ass. It wasn’t as amazing as Tony’s.

In a brilliant burst of light, the rift closed behind them leaving Steve breathing heavily as he lowered his shield. As they stood in the middle of the living room, Steve looked at where the two had disappeared, his brows furrowed in confusion. That was probably one of the fastest fights he had ever been in. Not that he was complaining.

“That was so cool!” Tiny Tony gushed over big Tony, looking over his suit in awe as he bounced around from where Steve had told him to stay by the couches.”Did you make this yourself? That’s awesome.”

“Yeah kiddo,” Tony grinned, pulling off the helmet to show it off to his younger self. He handed tiny Tony the helmet, letting him turn it over in his hands. 

“What powers it?” Tiny Tony asked, his eyes wide as he pointed at the helmet in his hands.

Tony pulled the arc reactor out of his suit, handing it to tiny Tony to inspect. “It’s powered by this light here.” He tapped the glass of his arc reactor before shooting Steve a small smile.

The suit was a dead weight without the reactor in it and Tony pulled the chestplate off so he could breathe a little easier. The plain black shirt he had been wearing under the suit had been torn up the side, probably from when Tony had taken a hit, and he pulled it off with a frown. Usually he wore an undersuit beneath the armour but he must not have had enough time to change into it.

“Woah that’s so cool!” Tiny Tony handed big Tony the reactor before his attention went back to the metal in his hands as he slid the Iron Man armour helmet over his head with a noise of awe.

Steve had never seen Tony shirtless before, the mess of scars underlining Tony’s pecs looked tender and painful in a way that made Steve’s own chest hurt. More than that, they demonstrated the incredible strength Tony had employed to overcome the turmoils of his past. He had been knocked down so many times and yet he still fought for a brighter future. They were so beautiful and Steve resisted the urge to lift a finger to trace them. His hands itched for his sketchbook to commit this Tony in all his magnificence to memory.

Grinning at the two of them, Steve set his shield on the coffee table to drop a hand on Tony’s bare shoulder, resisting the urge to shiver at the contact. He wanted to wrap Tony in his arms and never let go. “I don’t know what happened, but good job out there.”

Tony laughed, looking down at tiny Tony who was fascinated with the inside of the helmet. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about all of this sooner.” Tony shrugged and scratched the back of his neck before letting himself drop onto the couch, exhaustion and defeat pulling at his shoulders.

Now that he had his shirt off he seemed a lot more at ease and Steve hoped part of that was because of him. He wanted Tony to be comfortable with him like this and he’s so grateful for the trust his partner has in him.

“That’s okay,” Steve reassured him and took a seat on the coffee table so he could face Tony fully. He wanted to grab the other man’s calloused hands in his but figured that might be too much. ”You aren’t obligated to tell me everything Tony. Everyone is entitled to their own secrets, whatever they may be. Besides, your assigned sex at birth doesn’t matter to me and it shouldn’t matter to anyone else you decide to tell.”

“I know,” Tony sighed, uncomfortably scrubbing the back of his neck with a sigh as he hunched his shoulders around himself. It was almost like he’s trying to hide his scars from view and that makes Steve’s soul hurt something fierce. “I’ve always looked up to you as a role model and my father idolised you. I grew up thinking of you as the peak of male perfection and I knew I could never measure up. I know better now, I am a real man, but it was you who taught me what that meant.”

Steve grabbed his hands from where they were resting in his lap, urging Tony to meet his gaze. “You are so much better Tony. So much stronger. And I am so incredibly proud to be your friend and fight by your side.”

Tony’s beautiful, blue eyes filled with tears but Steve was quick to cup his cheeks, gently brushing them away as he shot his friend a supportive smile. It meant the world to him that Tony was trusting him with something like this.

“Thank you,” Tony whispered, hugging him tightly. His tears were soaking through Steve’s shirt but he found he didn’t care, too preoccupied with running his fingers through Tony’s soft curls and resisting the urge to press kisses to his head.

“You guys are hugging without me?” Tiny Tony’s indignant voice sounded from beside them and Steve laughed, opening his arms wider to accommodate him in a hug. He was gonna miss the little guy once Tony found a way to send him back to his time. Tiny Tony cuddled into his side, his nose tucked into Steve’s neck as he sighed happily.

When Steve pulled away, Tony was wiping his eyes to shoot his younger self a wide smile, Steve couldn’t help but be grateful for this look into Tony’s childhood. He was such a good kid. Steve wanted to know all of him, to gather up these tiny bits of information and hold them close to his heart. There was so much beauty in Tony and he just wanted to be given the opportunity to admire it.

“Alright kiddo,” Tony took a deep steadying breath and Steve set a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Ready to head down to the lab and see if we can get you home?”

Tiny Tony pouted looking up at Steve with wide eyes. “I have to go home? But I want us to get married.”

Steve ruffled his hair with a grin. “You still have thirty years to go before we get married,” Steve chuckles, bending down to whisper in tiny Tony’s ear. “But when you ask me, I will say yes.”

“Let’s go bud,” Tony bent down to swing tiny Tony into his arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead before turning to head toward the elevator. “Are you coming, Steve?”

Thinking about tiny Tony, Steve knew he wouldn’t be able to bear watching him step through the portal to go back home. Tony was pretty closed off about his past, but Steve knew Howard wasn’t the best father so the last thing Steve wanted was to be there when kind, beautiful, compassionate Tony was sent back to the hell of his past home-life. He couldn’t watch time and space ripple around the child sending him back to the past where he wasn’t accepted by his family and classmates for his gender identity.

“I think I’m gonna stay up here to clean.” Steve turned back to the counter. His grilled cheese sandwich was cold by now but his ma had taught him better than to waste food so Steve set to work shovelling the cold bread and cheese into his mouth. It still tasted pretty good despite the temperature and Steve polished it off in seconds, the blueberries following soon after. He chased it all down with a glass of cold chocolate milk.

Tony still wasn’t done in the workshop by the time he finished his food so Steve set to work on cleaning up. He gathered up the rest of the plates, taking them to the large kitchen sink and running the tap warm. Steve spent the next half hour distracting himself with the dishes, carefully soaping them up, rinsing them off and drying them with a fluffy towel. He put the ceramics away and wiped off the counter.

Halfway through his task, Jarvis notified him that Reed Richards had arrived to help out and Steve thought about taking them all down some brain food of cookies and coffee but quickly decided against it. Steve’s heart hurt for tiny Tony and he knew that if he was downstairs while Tony and Reed were rigging up some sort of time travel device, he would scoop the smaller Stark up into his arms and never let him return home.

At least he still had his own Tony to cherish and protect. To remind him every day that Steve supported him in every single thing that he did. He was so incredibly proud of everything Tony had accomplished, more so now that he knew more of the struggle that came with it.

It had been a couple hours by the time Steve stopped and looked at the clock. It was well into the afternoon and Steve figured Tony would be craving a cup of coffee by now. Getting the beans down from the cabinet, Steve scooped them into the percolator, setting up the machine to brew Tony’s coffee just the way he liked it.

As he was waiting for it to warm up, he sat by the counter, trying to occupy his thoughts with everything except the situation downstairs. He was contemplating going down to the gym to run a couple of miles on the treadmill when his gaze stopped on the crayons spread across the counter. Right, tiny Tony was a little artist. The running could wait, Steve decided as he began to pick up all the scattered crayons, his fingers growing sticky with coloured wax. Maybe he could suggest he and Tony colour with crayons sometime. It was always fun to let loose and do something creative and Steve has a feeling that even Tony as an adult would enjoy drawing with crayons. He never did lose his childlike wonder, and it was one of the things Steve loved about him. 

Just as he was putting the crayons back into the cabinet where they belonged, the coffee maker beeped, signalling it was ready to be poured. There were three drawings face down on the counter and Steve wanted nothing more than to reach over and flip them around to see what tiny Tony had spent the whole afternoon working on.

Patience was a virtue though and Steve finished pouring Tony’s coffee into a “scientists do it better” mug first. A part of him was also hoping Tony would wander up in the time it took him to stir in the perfect amount of sugar and creamer because contrary to popular belief, Tony didn’t take his coffee blacker than his soul. Steve wanted to show his best friend the hard work tiny Tony had put into the drawings for Steve.

Picking up the paper from the kitchen counter Steve felt tears welling in his eyes. In swirling colours, tiny Tony had drawn himself as a robot in red and gold armour, face grinning and jet black hair spiking away from his forehead. Steve was standing right beside him, his suit a mess of blue and red with a bright white star in the middle. He had the cowl off, sunny yellow hair falling into his face the way he wore it back in the forties. In the picture, he and Tony were joined by their hands, interlocking fingers to accompany their twin smiles. There was a bright red heart scribbled between the two of them that made Steve’s own heart flutter in his chest.

Grabbing a magnet, Steve stuck the drawing up on the fridge, hope swelling in his belly as he thought about how determined kid Tony was that the two of them would get married. It was adorable, and a part of him hoped that adult Tony would follow through. But they had to go on a date first. Maybe Steve could do something about granting tiny Tony’s wish.

Behind him, the elevator doors dinged and Tony emerged, dressed in his civvies with an exhausted smile on his face. He was wearing a warm looking blue hoodie, the sleeves coming down to below his fingertips. He came to a stop beside Steve, his black hair curling into his face in a way that had Steve struggling to resist pushing it out of his gorgeous eyes. “I know it’s early but I’m starving. Do you want to order pizza, Cap?”

Steve looked into Tony’s blue eyes, swirling like the brightest ocean, a constellation of stars and hope, explosions of light across galaxies, and a childhood missed out on. He was so incredibly beautiful in so many ways and Steve hoped just a little bit that Tony could see himself the way Steve did. Tony’s gaze betrayed oceans of hurt and triumph and waves of love and kindness and generosity. They were eyes that Steve would be happy looking at for the rest of his life, a sight that he would definitely love waking up to.

He wanted it so badly.

“I have a better idea.” Steve turned to face Tony fully and decided to just go for it. Younger Tony was rooting for him, so hopefully adult Tony would be on board too. It couldn’t be too big of a stretch. “Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight? On a date?”

Tony’s smile was brighter than any star in the constellation of Steve’s life. He was the luckiest man alive to be able to witness it. He hoped he’d be on the receiving end of many more. Tony’s smile was the kind of smile to end wars and forge peace.

“Yes, I’d love that.”

**Author's Note:**

> outing: tony gets outed by his younger self, but his younger self does decide to tell steve his pronouns and preferred name  
> disclaimer: neither my beta or i are trans, if there is anything i got wrong in this story, please let me know.
> 
> Come chat with me on [tumblr](https://starksnack.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/starksnack/).


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